Gus & Me

I was rather interested in Keith Richard's Life when it came out a few years ago. But I do know that the opportunity to read a 576 page autobiography of a Rolling Stone is not going to happen anytime soon in this lifetime for me. So what happy circumstance to find a picture book from Keith, although I suspect it doesn't cover quite the same material as Life. Ahh, through the wonders of the internet someone has bestowed the adult version of Gus & Me (an extract from Life about Gus). Others are amused by the concept of Keith Richards writing a picture book too.

Gus & Me is the story of a young Keith and his grandad Gus, Theodore Augustus Dupree. Keith spent many pleasurable days walking all over London. They had many adventures,

and Gus passed on his musicality and love of music to Keith. Now Keith is a grandfather too, and passing his love of music on to his own grandchildren.

Even today, all these years later, I think of Gus.
Every time I walk onstage, every time I write a song,
every time I reach for a guitar and play
a few dinka-plinks for my own grandchildren,
I say to myself,
Thanks Granddad, Thanks Gus!

I hope that Gus lived long enough to have some idea of Keith's ability and future life. Gus & Me comes with a CD which features Keith reading the story and also Keith playing one of the first songs that he learnt with Gus, Malagueña. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised but on the CD Keith says before his reading that "Books are one of the greatest loves of my life", maybe I will try to read Life one of these days... The family talent continues as Keith's daughter Theodora Dupree Richards has illustrated the book.